Liposomes have been evaluated both clinically and experimentally as a delivery system for administering hydrophobic agents and for mitigating the toxic effects associated with administration of anti-cancer drugs such as doxorubicin, vincristine, amphotericin, and retinoids. The potential advantages of liposome delivery include increased activity due to specific targeting, sequestration of the drug at the target site, protection of the drug from rapid metabolism, amplified therapeutic effect due to packaging of numerous drug molecules in each liposome, and decreased toxicity due to altered pharmacokinetics.
Liposomal preparations of anti-cancer agents have been shown to possess reduced toxicity and enhanced efficacy compared to “naked” drugs. Several liposomal forms of anti-tumor agents have been approved by the FDA for anti-cancer therapy. However, wider use of liposomes is hampered by difficulties in industrializing the manufacture of liposomes, along with liposomes' lack of stability and reproducibility.
An alternative delivery system that exhibits the advantageous properties of liposomes, as well as superior stability, uniformity, ease of use, and reproducibility of preparation, and that offers smaller size particles than liposomes is needed for administration of hydrophobic agents, such as anti-cancer agents. The invention provides such a delivery system and a method of using the system (e.g., for delivery of hydrophobic agents, such as anti-cancer agents, to a subject). These and other objects and advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.